Molding threaded articles



Feb. 26, 1952 J. l.. LAY

MOLDING THREADED ARTICLES 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 24, 194'? NVENTOR al- .I Q;

ATTORNEYS Feb. 26, 1952 J. 1 LAY MOLDING THREADED ARTICLES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 `Filed vApril 24, 1947 Feb. 26, 1952 Filed Apr-il 24, 1947 J. l.. LAY

MOLDING THREADED ARTICLES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTO Feb. 26, 1952 J. LAY 2,587,337 v MoLDING THREADED ARTICLES Filed April 24, 1947 5 Sheets-Shea?| 4 ATTORNEYS Feb, 26, 1952 J. L. LAY

MOLDING THREADED ARTICLES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 v Filed Agril 24, 194i INVENTOR Patented Feb. 26, 1952 MOLDING THREADED ARTICLES John L. Lay, Ogden, Pa., assignor to A. H. Wirz,

Inc., Chester, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania.

Application April 24, 1947, Serial No. 743,657

1 My invention relates to the molding of threaded articles, especially from plastic, including both the mechanism and the' methods-involved. l"

A purpose of my invention is tov avoid the danger of shearing off threads on plastic molded 'caps and the likeduring the separation ofthe dies or mold parts and the unscrewing of the force. A further purpose is to permit the selection of relative mold part or die speeds with reference to the desired speed of closing of the mold without encountering difficulty due to stripping of the threads on molded articles during opening.

A further purpose is to render the relative rotation of the 'force and the molded article en' tirely independent othe speed of motion of the dies during separation.

A further purpose is to permit loosening and unscrewing of threaded articles from a force when the 'articles have extremely shallow seating in the female die, as for example in the 'case of mushroom caps.

A 'further purpose is to mount'a force having.

threads in such a way that the force is firmly 'held when th'e die is closed, but has lost motion with "respect to its support when the dies are opening, and preferably also to accomplish partial unthreading of the molded article from theforce between the beginning and endoi the lost f motion."

A further purpose is to employ lost motion between the force and its sup-port, and to 'rotate the force by mechanism put in operation by the travel of the ram.

Further purposes appear in the specification and in the claims.

In the drawings I have chosen to illustrate one only of the many embodiments in which my invention may appear, choosing the form'shown from the standpoints of conveniencein illustration, satisfactory operation and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

Figure l is a partially diagrammatic top plan View of a plastic molding press embodying my invention.

` Figure 2 is a side elevation oi the structure of Figure 1, partially broken away to show structure at the bottom of the hopper.

Figure 3 is a section of Figure 2 on some such line asv3-3- and with ram parts broken away to show the structure.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the forces and .force supports.

-- Figure 5 is a top plan view of thefemale dies.

7 claims. (c1. 1s-55) Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional View of a disengaged finger. l v

Figure 7' is an enlarged cross section of thedies in operative relation. j -I Figure 8 is an enlarged. sectional view of a portionof the loading mechanism. l f

Figures 9 to 12 inclusive are fragmentary sec tional position views enlarged with respect t0 Figure 7 and showing the dies closing and subsequently opening.

Figure 13 is a diagrammatic perspective showing the hydraulic system.

Figure 14 is an electrical circuit diagram.

Figure 15 is a fragmentary enlarged side elevation of the switch operator.

Figure 16 is a perspective of a mushroom cap.

In the drawings like numerals refer to like parts.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referring to the drawings:

In the prior art, when molding threaded articles of plastics or the like, such as caps for bottles, jars, collapsible tubes, and the like, a problem has been presented in unthreading threaded articles from the threaded portions of the mold. While the rule is not invariably adhered to, the threads are ordinarily carried by a male die or force, and this terminology is being used in agreement with the practice in the industry, notwithstanding that the male die or force commonly has cavity or 'female die surfaces, as for example in the common caps for bottles and collapsible tubes, and these cavity surfaces on the male die are sometimes threaded. Likewise following the industry, the mating die portion which is ordinarily mounted on the ram is designated herein as the female die although it may have male portions.

In the prior art it was originally the practice to remove threaded molded objects from the mold by hand, unthreading after the dies have separated. Automatic devices have also been developed which rotate the force by lgearing after the dies separate, but while the molded object is held against rotation by the female. die. (See Pfeilsticker U. S. Patent 2,394,260, granted Feb'- ruary 5, 1946, for Method of and Machine for Molding.)

While such prior art automatic devices have represented a distinct advance over the manual method of removing the molded pieces from-the threaded die, serious diiiiculties have developed. In the prior art it has been the practice to open the dies and operate the racks which rotate the forces simultaneously, the movable die being ordi rmly seated in the female die, the force through` its threaded relation with the molded object tends to push the molded object off theforce and against the female die, stripping the threads on the molded object or marring or splitting it.

This problem is complicated by the fact that the hydraulic pressure heretofore employed for the ram has been that employed for the hydraulic mechanism operating the gearing which rotates the force, andthe controlling factor in the selection of such pressure is the speed of closing vof the ram which willladequatelyf get rid of gas in the particular mold contour and with the particular plastic composition. The closing rate of the dies therefore has controlled the entire cycle, since it compresses the particular spring employed for opening, and lit determines the pressure which has heretofore been used in rotating the forces. Every change of plastic or mold design therefore hasnecessitated some consideration of change of the closing speed of the ram, and where the closing speed has been changed this has frequently caused change of the speed lof rotating the force at a different rate than the change vof the speed of the ram.

Another 'variable factor which inuences the speed of opening is the extent of adhesion by each die to the molded object, which controls the break-away pressure when the mold separates.

A -further diiculty has 'developed in that in somecases the ram has moved away so quickly that the holding action of the female die against rotation yof the molded object when the force turns has been lost before 'the molded object has been unthreaded, or unthreaded to the desired extent. This has been less serious in the case of `bottle vcaps where a rather great axial extent of interlock is possible between the female die and the kobject molded, but it has been very serious in mushroom caps of the character employed on collapsible tubes, where there is only a narrow flange which can interlock between the female die and the article molded. In mushroom caps an error of as little as @l2- to T15 of an inch in excessive withdrawal of the ram before the force has been properly rotated will prevent the mechanism from functioning and this is diicult to control when the parts are moving at substantial speeds.

In accordance with the present invention I provide lost .motion between `the force and the force support during vopening of the dies, so that the force can move with the female die during the initial opening movement and can be rotated at some vpoint along the range of the lost motion, with assurance that the moldedobject will be'fully socketed in the female die to prevent rotation. The relativespeeds of withdrawal of 'the female die and rotation of the force are thus independent of one anotherwithin wide'limits, andthe speed of 'die closing and hydraulic pressure used therefor vcan be'varied widely7 vWithout stripping the threadsor marring the-molded ob-A CS x jects, and without unsocketing of molded objects from the female die before the force has been properly rotated.

In accordance with my invention, I desirably rotate the force automatically in response to the extent of withdrawal of the ram, but without reference to the speed of the ram.

I will first describe the conventional prior art heated platen press in which my invention will nd its best application.

I illustrate a press 20 having a base 2 I, a head 22, and a ram 23 having vertical movement. The ram 23 is provided'with a ram head 24 which cooperates with the head 22 and both the heads 22 `and 24 are suitably heated as for example by steam introduced through a pipe 25, rst to the head 22 and thence through Van intermediate pipe 2'5 connecting the head 22 with the head 24, from which the steam discharges through a pipe 21. The pipes 25 and 21 are suitably flexible to permit the ram to move vup vand down.

On'the under side of the stationary head 22 a gang molding die v-or iforce 'support 28 is applied. The die 28 carries primarily male'parts :and ra lower gangmolding die 3|l carries primarily female die parts, which are Araised and lowered by the ram. The cooperating dies 28 and 30 are aligned prior to closing by suitable pins, not shown, so that the forces 3| in the upper die ,or :force support 28 provided withinserts 3,2 carrying kthe threads suitably cooperate with'female die elements 33 in'bores 33 in the female die 3B. The forces 3| are Vsuitably backed up by a backing plate 34 and the female die elements Y33 are suitably backed up by a backing Iplate 35 so that the components of `each die or mold part form a complete unit.

The upper die 28 is attached to the stationary head .by guide bars 36, which permit it to be withdrawn nto the side for replacement or inspection. The lower die 30 is attached to the ram head by guide Ybars l31, and moves vertically with the ram, while at the same time when the dies `are open the lower ydie can be reciprocated to the side.

The lateral reciprocation of the lower die is controlled by a hydraulic cylinder 38 and piston and rod 40. The cylinder is supplied with hyl draulic yfluid through connections 4| and42. The

upper die 28 acts as a housing for a plurality of parallel racks 43, which are attached to a crosshead 44.

The racks extend in slots 46 of the upper die 2,8 and are guided thereby, while the crosshead 44 is guided by guide bars 36. The racks and crosshead are caused vto reciprocate by a hydraulic cylinder 41 and a piston and piston rod 48. Suitable hydraulic connections are made to the cylinder at 50 and 5|. Each of the racks meshes with a gear 52 on each force 3|, the gear being suitably located ina counterbcre 53 at the upper end of the bore 54 in the die 28 through which each force extends. Molding compound suitably in the form of a preformed pellet 55 is placed in each cavity 53 'ofthe female die elements 33, to be formed by contact between the Walls 51 of the force, the walls 58 suitably threaded to the force insert, land the female die.

The insertion of the molding compound such as phenolformaldehyde plastic is accomplished by sliding the mold to the side under the action of cylinder 38 and introducing the pellets through a feeding mechanism, comprising a hopper 60 having a series of openings 6| in its bottom, in alignment with the female die cavities 56. Located on top of the hopper bottom and adapted to slide thereon is a relatively thin plate 62 likewise carrying a series of openings 63 of similar size and spacing, capable in one position of registering with the openings 6|. Immediately below the hopper bottom is another similar sliding plate 64 having cooperating openings 65. Mounted on the side of the hopper is a bearing 66 which pivots an arm 61 pivoted on the bearing near its center and slotted at its outer ends to receive pins 68 and 10 respectively located on extensions from the plates 62 and 64. A compression spring 1| normally holds the upper plate 62 with its opening 63 registering with the openings 6| of the hopper bottom and normally holds the plate 64 with its openings out of registry. The lower end of the arm 61 is extended at 12 to engage the lower die 30, reversing the relation of the plates 62 and 64. When the lower die 30 returns to its molding position in the press, the spring 1| reverses the plates 62 and 64, permitting pellets to reiill the spaces 6| in the hopper bottom and holding the parts in this position until the lower die again returns to its'position below the hopper.

Automatic mechanism is provided for discharging the finished product after it leaves the press. This mechanism comprises a frame 13 (Figure 2) mounted on the lower die, having a plurality of extension ngers 14, one for each row of mold cavities. The fingers are preferably of channel form as shown in Figure 6, and support contact strips 15 of some yieldable material such as rubber. One edge of each strip 15 is positioned to contact the outer face of each nished molded article, so that the strips 15 act as wiper bars for completing the unscrewing of the molded articles from the forces when the frame 13 is moved laterally with the lower die to bring the fingers into a position below the upper die. Pivoted within the frame 13 and carried thereby is a dump tray 16 which is held up parallel with the frame 13 by the top of the ram head 24 during the time that the lower die is in the molding position within the press but is lowered by gravity over a cam finger 11 as the lower die 30 withdraws laterally from the press. This tray is pivoted at one end within the frame 13 and the weight of its free end causes it to tilt and discharge its content. Upon the return stroke of the lower die 30, the tray is returned to its initial receiving position under the influence of the cam nger 11.

An adjustable stop 18 is provided on the lower die to register`it as it moves into position below the upper die byI abutting against the side face of head 24.

The ram 23 is suitably guided at 80 and carries a piston 8| in a main hydraulic cylinder 82 supplied with hydraulic fluid atA 83. The ram is raised by hydraulic pressure and is retracted by spring 84. The press is provided with the usual tension columns 85 and is to be regarded asany conventional plastic molding or similar press. Y

The structure thus far described may be regarded as illustrating the background of the invention, and as one desirable embodiment in which the invention may be applied, but is not itself part of my invention.

The counterbore 53 in which the gears 52 are 'contained is according to my invention extended at 86 to provide a lost motion space, permitting the forces and force inserts'to move with respect to the die 28, following the retraction motion of the female die 30 as the ram is lowered. The teeth on the racks 43 are made Wide enough to extend to the bottom of the counterbore so that the forces can be rotated at any position along the lost motion space.

The distance of the 10st motion will vary with the individual installation, but I nd that in many instances a 10st motion of 1/3 to 1/4" is quite satisfactory.

In accordance with my invention I completely dissociate the operation of the rack from the operation of the main ram, providing a separate connection of the rack to the source of hydraulic fluid through a separate needle valve or other control, so that the speed of motion of the ram can be changed without affecting the speed of rotation of the forces.

In order to permit automatic operation of the racks during the lost motion, mechanism depending upon the position or the main ram is provided for operating the racks to rotate the forces.

As seenin Figure 13 and partially in Figures 9 to 12 inclusive, the high pressure fluid is ob- 'tained from a main high pressure hydraulic line 81 and passes through a distributing line 88 Kbranching at 96 to a needle valve, control 9|,

which regulates the high pressure fluid flow to the main ram and thence to an intake valve 92, which in open high pressure position connects the high pressure line to the ram cylinder pipe S3. In the opposite position of the valve operating handle 94 (interconnected to the other manual valves by any suitable interconnection 93), the high pressure from the line 90` is cut oi at the valve 92 and the ram cylinder connecting pipe 83 is connectedrto the exhaust line 95 through the needle valve 96 extending to the exhaust or return header 51.

At the time the ram is moving upwardl and preferably by interconnection 93 of the valve levers, the retraction stroke of the racks is accomplished by connecting high pressure uid from line 98 through control needle valve |06 to valve ||l| operated by lever |02 connecting through the valve in this position by pipe 58 to the remote end |03 of rack cylinder 41. Exhaust from the opposite end |84 of the rack cylinder 41 is accomplished by pipe 5| and branch pipe |85 to valve |86 operated by lever |61 and connecting through the valve in this position by exhaust pipe |88 the ram moves for a short distance away from the' upper die and moves the forces downward with the upper die along the lost motion, until the operator of microswitch H2 carried by the ram is contacted by operating projection |3 mounted on the frame of the press to close the microswitch as best seen in Figures 14 and 9 to 12 inclusive, connecting power leads H4 and ||5 through switch ||6 in closed position to solenoid ||1, opening solenoid valve H8 to permit high pressure ud through pipe |59, needle valve |20, and solenoid 'valve ||8 to iiow through pipe |2| connected to the adjacent end |04 of rack cylinder At the same time by shifting lever |02 on valve lill, when lever 94 is shifted to permit spring 84 to retract the main ram, pipe 5i] from the remote end |83 of the rack cylinder 41 is connected by pipe |22 and needle valve |22' to the exhaust header 51.

To permit the cam projection i3 to move past the switch vplunger during the up stroke of the ram, the projection 3 is pivoted at |23 on a stationary pivotal mounting |24 on the frame,

the abutment |13 beingiprovided with zagstop 112.5

yagainst downward movement but relieved at 126 .to permit free swinging .in the upward vdirection against the action of a .tension spring 12'? which is lighter than the spring .of the contact 12S of the microswitch, so that no circuit is closed duringthe upward vmovement of 'themicroswitchwith theram.

In operation the hopper to is nlled with blanks 55, aswell as the spaces in the bottom of the hop- 4shift and close the tops of the openings in the bottomof the hopper and at the same time shift the plate 513 to permit pellets occupying openings 1.-" in the bottom of the Vhopper to `drop through opening 65 into the female elements of the lower die which are in registry beneath the opening 65.

vAs soon as the mold cavities are filled, the piston and rod il@ again is reversed causing the lower die to begin traveling toward the press. This travel is continued until it is halted by the stops 1S contacting the side walls of the press.

The handle 91| of valve 92 isnow thrown into the position to admit high pressure iluid to the ram, and concurrently the handle 102 of valve 19| is thrown to the positionl to admit high pressure iiuid to the remote end |93 of the rack cylinder, and the handle |111 of valve |56 is thrown to the position to exhaust from the end 164 of rack cylinder d'1. Thus the ram moves up, bringing the dies from the position of Figure 9, through that of Figure l0, when the force insert iirst contacts the plastic, to that o Figure 1l in which the plastic object, here a mushroom cap, is molded. rIhe abutment 1 13 swings out of the way in Figure 16 to let the microswitch operator pass without closing the microswitch, since the spring of the microswitch contact is stronger than the spring E21 on the operator. As the ram reaches a position between Figures 9 and 10, it picks up the forces which, as shown in Figure 10, have been resting at the bottom of the lost motion space, and moves them up, until as shown in Figure 11, they rest lirmly against the back plate 34, when they resist further rise, and begin to mold the plastic.

When the mold parts are in closed position as shown in Figure l1, suicient heat is applied to set the plastic, where a thermosetting plastic is used.

rEhe valve handles 911, |02, and 151 are then reversed, cutting oii high pressure uid from the ram, connecting the ram to exhaust, permitting the rain spring to begin the return of the ram, and connecting the remote end of the rack cylinder to exhaust while cutting oi the exhaust from the adjacent end of the rack cylinder. As the female dies 313 move down under the action of the ram, the adhesion to the molded object tends to hold the forces and the female die together, so that the forces initially begin downward motion along with the female die, travelling along the lost motion after the position as shown in Figure l2 .for some .short time interval. vAfter the forces have begun their ^downward motion,

Ythe microswitch 1 12 on the ram `contacts the Operating projection 113 on the frameas shown in Figure l2, closing the microswitch and energizing the solenoid 11.1 :to open the .solenoid valve 1.118, admitting high pressure fluid :intothenearer .end 104 of the ram -cylinder 41, thus starting the motion of the racks to turn the gearson the forces. Figure l2 .illustrates this condition by showing the partial unscrewing of the cap at |29. In this gure it will be noted that there is 'alcomparatively great 10st motion space |30 below the forces, whichxis available in case .the motion of the rack is so `slow that the ram and female die ymoves `down faster than the rotation .of the forces unthreads the caps downwardly.

Thus `it will be understood that the female die isifree to fmove down more rapidly than the caps would .be fed oli the forces due to the rotation .of :the racks. At the same time it will be evident thatvas theracks operate, -there is free space 13| above :the forces so that if the racks tend ,to turn so rapidly that the forces would tend to move upward, .in `case the ram is not `moving .downward with comparatively great enough speed, 'the free space 1.31 of the lost motion can be used'to permit upward movement of the forces without stripping the threads on the caps. At the 'same time it will be evident that if the ram tends :to move downward more rapidly than wouldbe desired, it does not have an opportunity to unseat the shallow shoulder 4132 of the cap from the female die and therefore does not lose the `interlock with the female die which would normally be obtained by the "adhesion of the cap -to the female -die and-any knurling or other1 interlock provided along the outer edges |33 of the female die.

It will be understood that the relative lost y vmotion distances 13@ and 131 above and below vthe Vgears on the forces are la matter of choice and will vary Vat different stages of the cycle, since ofcourse, when the mold is fully opened as shown in Figure 9, the lost motion will all be above `the forces. Also these valves can be changed for-different molding conditions.

It will -be understood that the'relative speed of the rack Aand the speed of the ram can be controlled by adjusting needle valves 12% and 91. The -position at w-hich the forces are rotated can be adjusted with respect to the lost motion 'by adjusting the relative positions of the microswitch and the microswitch operator.

In the preferred embodiment for average .use it `is considered best vto rotate the forces when the forces have moved down about half of the lost motion space.

In View of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or vparticular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, .to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copyl `ing the process andstructure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope .of m-y claims.

Having thus vdescribed my invention, what I lclaim as new and desire to Ysecure by vLetters Patent is:

"1. .The method of molding threaded articles, using cooperating mold parts, one of which Ahas a thread and the other of which discharges the molded article solely by motion in the .direction of relative movement of the mold parts, which comprises closing the mold parts and pressing molding material between them, moving a mold part opposite from the threaded mold part `above referred to in a direction away from the mold.- ing position of the threaded mold part While concurrently moving the threaded mold part in the same direction as Vthe motion of the opposite mold part solely under the force of adhesion of the molded product to the mold part oppositeJ from the threaded mold part, and subsequently relatively twisting the threaded mold part and the molded article while the molded article is held by the opposite mold part.

2. The method of molding threaded articles using cooperating mold parts, one 0f which is threaded and another of which is unthreaded and permits withdrawal of the threaded article solely by motion in the direction of relative motion of the parts, which comprises forming material to be molded between the mold parts, moving the unthreaded mold part relatively away from the molding position of the threaded mold part while concurrently moving the threaded mold part in the same direction as the motion of the unthreaded mold part solely under the action of the adhesion between the unthreaded mold part and the molded object, and subsequently relatively twisting the threaded mold part and the molded object while maintaining the threaded mold part free to move over a substantial lost motion toward or away from the unthreaded mold part during the unthreading,

depending upon the relative rate of unthreading as compared with the speed of motion of the unthreaded mold part.

3. The method of molding threaded articles, using parts, the unthreaded mold parts discharging the molded article directly in the direction of relative motion, which comprises moving they mold parts into closed position and thereby forming an article to be molded, moving the unthreaded mold part away from the molding position of the threaded mold part while concurrently moving the threaded mold part in the same direction as the motion of the unthreaded mold part solely under the action of the adhesion between the unthreaded moldpart and the molded article, and relatively untwisting the threaded mold part from the molded article while it is held by the unthreaded mold part and while the threaded mold part is free to move over a substantial lost motion toward or away from the unthreaded mold part during the unthreading.

f 4. The lmethod of molding threaded articles,

using a male die having a threaded part and a y female die which is capable of discharging the article solely by motion in the direction of the relative motion of the dies, which comprises closing the dies and compressing molding material between them, moving the female die opposite from the direction of relative closing movement while concurrently moving the threaded part in the same direction as the motion of the female die solely under the force of adhesion of the molded product, and subsequently relatively twisting the threaded part and the molded article while the molded article is held by the female die.

5. rIhe method of molding threaded articles, using a male die having a threaded part and a female die which discharges the molded article solely by motion in the direction of the relative movement of the parts, which comprises forming material to be molded between the dies by closing the dies, moving the female die opposite cooperating threaded and unthreaded to the direction of relative closing movement while concurrently moving the threaded part in the same direction as the motion of the female die solely under the action of the adhesion between the female die and the molded object, and subsequently relatively twisting vthe threaded part and the molded object while maintaining the threaded part free to move over a substantial lost motion away from or toward the female die during the unthreading depending upon the relative rate of unthreading as compared with the aforesaid opposite motion of the female die.

6. The method of molding threaded articles, using a male die having a threaded part and a female die which discharges the molded article solely by motion in the direction of the relative movement of the parts, which comprises moving the female die into closed position upon the male die and thereby forming an article of material to be molded, moving the female die in the direction opposite to its closing movement while concurrently moving the threaded part in the same direction as the motion of the female die solely under the action of the adhesion between the female die and the molded article, and relatively untwisting the threaded part from the molded article while it is held by the female die and while the threaded part is free to move over a substantial lost motion toward or away from the female die during the unthreading.

7. The method of molding threaded articles, using a male die having a threaded part and a female die which discharges the molded article solely by motion in the direction of the relative movement of the parts, which comprises moving the female die into closed position upon the male die and thereby forming an article of material to be molded, moving the female die in the direction opposite to its closing movement and concurrently moving the threaded part in the same direction as the motion of the female die solely under the action of the adhesion between the female die and the molded article, relatively untwisting the threaded part from the molded article while it is held by the female die and while the threaded part is free to move over a substantial lost motion toward or away from the female die during the unthreading, and concurrently continuing the withdrawal motion of the female die while the untwisting between the threaded part and the molded object is being accomplished.

JOHN L. LAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,047,379 Matson July 14, 1936 2,222,732 Winegar Nov. 26, 1940 2,238,198 Weber Apr. 15, 1941 2,336,212 Baron et al. Dec. 7, 1943 2,363,808 Sayre NOV. 28, 1944 2,391,527 Tracy Dec. 25, 1945 2,394,260 Pfeilsticker Feb. 5, 1946 2,404,631 Gronemeyer July 23, 1946 

